Juventus are set to terminate Sami Khedira’s contract, with the former Germany international not in the plans of new head coach Andrea Pirlo, Goal can reveal.
The former Real Madrid player managed only 18 appearances for the Bianconeri last term, which was beset by injury problems for him.
First, he had to undergo knee surgery in December, then after making his return on the bench against Inter, he endured a tear in the abductor muscle and only featured once thereafter.
That outing in the Coppa Italia against AC Milan could prove to be his last in the famous black-and-white shirt, with Pirlo, himself a distinguished midfielder during his playing days, having no part for the 33-year-old in his thinking.
Juventus are seeking to cut their wage commitments, and the injury-prone veteran is a logical place for the new coach to start, with Fabio Paratici seeking to come to an agreement with the player over his termination. It is thought that releasing Khedira could save Juve around €6 million (£5.5m/$7m) in terms of his annual salary.
Pirlo has aimed to freshen up the central area of the team, with Weston McKennie signed from Schalke and Arthur arriving from Barcelona, albeit with Miralem Pjanic heading in the opposite direction.
Although it is not clear where Khedira may go, there is no lack of interest in the German, with plenty of contact over his services. A move to a less competitive league, however, is likely.
Khedira first broke through in senior football at Stuttgart in the 2006-07 season, and after four years in the Bundesliga side’s senior squad was snapped up by Real Madrid, where he enjoyed arguably the finest seasons of his career, capped by one La Liga title and the 2014 Champions League trophy.
After moving to Juventus in 2015, he has played in 144 matches, returning 21 goals as well as a league title in each season.
On the international scene, meanwhile, he impressed for Joachim Low’s side as they claimed the 2014 World Cup and was a member of the starting XI that demolished Brazil 7-1 in the semi-final, scoring one and setting another up, though he missed the final due to injury. In total, he made 77 appearances for his nation and scored seven goals.
He is not expected to be the first excess player off the books, with former Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain set to make a switch to MLS side Inter Miami.
